Get started with KuDownloader

Install

Download the file for your system from the download section or the latest release.

Windows 10 and 11

1. Download KuDownloader_x.y.z_x64-setup.exe and open it.
2. If Windows shows “Windows protected your PC”, choose More info › Run anyway. The installer is not yet signed with a paid certificate; updates are signed and checked before they install.
3. KuDownloader installs for your user only (no administrator needed) and starts when it is done.

macOS 11 or later Beta

macOS and Linux builds are in beta: everything works, but they get less testing than Windows and Android. Please report anything odd on GitHub.

1. Pick Apple silicon (M1 and later) or Intel, open the .dmg and drag KuDownloader to Applications.
2. The first time, right-click the app and choose Open, then Open again. If macOS still refuses, go to System Settings › Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.

Linux Beta

Debian, Ubuntu, Mint and Pop!_OS:

sudo apt install ./KuDownloader_x.y.z_amd64.deb

Fedora, openSUSE and other RPM systems:

sudo dnf install ./KuDownloader-x.y.z-1.x86_64.rpm

Arch, Manjaro and EndeavourOS:

sudo pacman -U kudownloader-x.y.z-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst

ARM computers (Raspberry Pi 4/5 and others) use the arm64.deb or aarch64.rpm files. KuDownloader appears in your applications menu.

Android 7 or later

See Android below.

Browser extension

The extension hands the downloads you start in your browser to KuDownloader, and puts a download button on videos. The desktop app must be installed.

Firefox

Install it from Firefox Add-ons: open KuDownloader on addons.mozilla.org and click Add to Firefox. Settings › Browser integration opens the same page for you.

Chrome, Edge, Brave, Opera, Vivaldi

1. Open KuDownloader, then Settings › Browser integration.
2. Choose your browser.
3. Follow the steps shown: turn on Developer mode, choose Load unpacked and paste the folder path KuDownloader copied for you.
4. Restart the browser. Start any download: the Download File window of KuDownloader opens.

Install it yourself

Every release also has the extension as a download, for any Chromium browser, including ones KuDownloader doesn't list:

1. Download KuDownloader_x.y.z_browser-extension.zip from the latest release and unzip it into a folder you keep (the browser loads it from there).
2. Open the browser's extensions page (chrome://extensions, edge://extensions, brave://extensions…) and turn on Developer mode.
3. Click Load unpacked and choose the folder.

Chrome may remind you about extensions in developer mode now and then: it says that about every extension that isn't from its store. The extension only talks to KuDownloader on your computer.

To let the browser keep its downloads for a while, pause the take-over from the extension's pop-up, or turn it off for a single site.

Your first download

1. Copy a link and click Add URL. KuDownloader notices copied links and offers to download them too.
2. Check the name, size and folder in the Download File window, then click Download Now.
3. A small progress window shows the speed, time left and each connection. Close it any time; the download keeps going.

Every file is split across several connections, and the number is tuned while it runs. If the network drops or the computer restarts, KuDownloader continues where it stopped. When a link expires, select the download, open the details panel (Ctrl+I) and use Refresh download link with a fresh address from the site.

For many files at once use Tasks › Batch download (a list or a numbered pattern like file_[001-120].jpg), or Link Grabber to collect every file linked from a page.

Queues & schedules

Choose Download Later to put a file in a queue. Each queue runs a set number of downloads at a time.

In Tasks › Scheduler you can start a queue at night (for example 02:00–07:00 when data is cheaper), limit the speed, and shut down or sleep the computer when everything is done.

Videos & music

1. Open Video Downloader and paste a link from YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, Vimeo or 1,000+ other sites.
2. Pick Video or Audio only, the quality, and optionally subtitles and cover art.
3. Playlists: turn on Whole playlist and choose the videos you want.

The video tools (yt-dlp and FFmpeg) install themselves the first time they are needed and keep themselves up to date. KuDownloader does not download DRM-protected media.

Torrents

Open a .torrent file or paste a magnet link in Add URL. Choose the files you want inside the torrent before it starts. Finished torrents keep seeding until you pause or remove them.

KuAirSend

Send files, folders, text and links between your devices on the same Wi-Fi or network, encrypted, without the internet.

1. Open KuAirSend and switch on Send & receive on both devices.
2. Nearby devices appear on the radar, each with its own pixel animal. Click one to send.
3. The other device asks to accept. Mark devices as trusted to skip the question next time, or set a PIN.

Send a link and the other device can download it right away or at a time you pick — handy for letting an always-on PC do the downloading.

Not seeing a device? Both must be on the same network. On Windows and macOS allow KuDownloader when the system asks about networks. On Linux, if a banner says a firewall is blocking KuAirSend, click Allow; or open the port yourself:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=53318/tcp --add-port=53318/udp && sudo firewall-cmd --reload

sudo ufw allow 53318/tcp && sudo ufw allow 53318/udp

You can also add a device by its IP address with Add by IP.

Android

1. Download the APK: arm64 for almost every phone from the last years, Older phones for 32-bit devices, or Universal if you are not sure.
2. Open it. If Android asks, allow your browser or file manager to install unknown apps, then tap Install.
3. On first start KuDownloader prepares its video tools; this takes a few seconds.

The built-in Browser blocks ads and trackers. On a page with a video, tap the round download button in the corner to pick a quality. Share a link to KuDownloader from any app to download it, and set Wi-Fi only in Settings to save mobile data.

KuDownloader is not on Google Play, because Play does not allow apps that download from video sites. The app checks for its own updates.

Settings & themes

In Settings › Appearance choose light, dark or system, an accent colour, and a palette for each mode — including Paper, Mist, Nord, Ocean, Pure black (OLED) and the neon Cyberpunk theme. KuDownloader speaks twelve languages.

Other useful settings: the download folder and folders per type (videos, music, programs…), how many connections to use, speed limits and profiles, a proxy, and whether to start with the system and stay in the tray.

Updates

KuDownloader checks for updates by itself. On the desktop, Help › About KuDownloader shows your version and installs a new one with one click; updates are signed and verified. After an update a short What's new note shows what changed.

Troubleshooting

Still stuck? Report a problem on GitHub.